Worth Any Price
by YearOfTheKitty
Summary: It all started with a bet, which led to a date, which ended with a kiss, and Lloyd still isn't sure what just happened. Why had he agreed to this again? Zelloyd fluff, slight Gesea. For SilverMoon888!


**Kitty: This is dedicated to SilverMoon888 for being the 100****th**** reviewer on my story Ipseity! Keep rockin', SilverMoon!**

**Genis: As requested, this fic contains Zelloyd fluff (though it may not seem like it at first—don't worry), and what passes for humor in Kitty's world. YearOfTheKitty does not own Tales of Symphonia, by the way.**

**Kitty: Yup, yup. Happy Halloween! Virtual lollipops to any reviewers! Enjoy!**

***

**Worth Any Price**

"_And, oh my God, look—you have just discovered_

_The way that one thing can lead to another."_

—_Pet Shop Boys, 'One Thing Leads to Another'_

Genis was usually a very observant person, in his own opinion. He was much more intelligent than any other twelve-year-old he'd ever met or heard of, and more intelligent by far than many adults he'd met and heard of as well. He was unquestionably the smartest of the teenage trio that were currently leading this crazy Journey.

So he was a little annoyed upon exiting Gaoracchia Forest to find that he'd completely missed that… that _abomination_ that had apparently sprung into being while they were stumbling around in the near-total darkness of the forest.

The little half-elf tried to let it go. He really did… For Lloyd's sake. But every day that passed on their way to the Toize Valley Mine that none of the others even _glanced_ at it grated on his nerves. He marched along at the rear of the procession beside Presea, glaring at the back of his best friend's head. He just couldn't understand it. But he was trying to let it go. He really was.

Unfortunately, in addition to being a very observant person, Genis was also the proud owner of an abnormally short fuse.

The group (Colette) had eventually caved to Zelos's constant whining and decided to spend a single night in Altamira before proceeding along to the Mine. Genis was feeling particularly irate about this, having spent the better part of the last two nights arguing vehemently that Presea's well-being was by far superior to Zelos's need for meaningless sex with women in bunny costumes. He was outvoted, however, due to the twisted ankle Sheena had sustained tumbling head-over-heels down a hill on the way there, Lloyd's insistence that they all needed a break before they collapsed of exhaustion, and Colette's complete inability to assert herself as any kind of authority figure. Not to mention the fact that Raine refused to undermine Colette's 'authority', and that Regal felt he had no say in what they did.

The half-elf mage clenched his fists and wished someone was looking at him. Fuming was unsatisfying in the extreme if no one knew you were doing it. The constant sound of water from the other end of the hotel's lobby did nothing for his mood—and neither did the sun beating down through the huge glass panels.

He glared around moodily, looking for something to let his anger out on. And that was when his cerulean eyes fell on _it_.

He exploded.

"I can't take it anymore! _What_ is that _thing_ on your _face_, Lloyd?!" the young mage all but shouted, stamping his feet in frustration. Lloyd turned back to him blankly, blinking.

"Huh? What thing?"

"_That thing_!" Genis screeched, stabbing his finger at the older boy's chin. "It's been there ever since we got out of the Forest, and I want to know _what it is_."

"…It's hair, twerp," Zelos cast the boy an amused look. "Surely you've seen it before?"

"Of course I have!" the boy wondered if hopping up and down would be satisfying enough to warrant the immaturity of the action. "But when did it _get_ there?!"

"Oh, that," Lloyd laughed, one hand coming up to stroke his chin and its newly-acquired dusting of wispy brown hair. "Well, it was really dark in that Forest, so I couldn't shave for a while, and once we got out… I thought it looked pretty good, actually!"

Genis stared. "Lloyd, you look like a sleazebag," he said flatly.

"Genis!" Colette gasped. "Don't say that! I think it looks… charming."

"Yeah," Sheena agreed, her lips twitching uncontrollably as she tried to keep a straight face. "Real debonair."

"Debo-what?" Lloyd blinked again.

"It means dashing," Raine supplied. "Suave."

"See, even the Professor thinks so!" Lloyd turned on his best friend triumphantly. Sheena lost the battle with her smile at the look on Raine's face at this declaration. The ninja clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle sniggers, quickly turning and hurrying in the direction of the stairwell, up which Regal and Presea had already vanished.

"Lloyd, she doesn't…" Genis cut himself off, pinching his nose in frustration. "Ugh! Come on, Colette, you think it looks stupid, too!"

"O-Of course not," the Chosen fidgeted with her sleeves.

"Don't be such a downer, kid," Zelos clapped a hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Come on, bud, I think you look fine." The redhead began to steer him towards the stairs.

"Raine…" Genis appealed to his older sister. Surely she wasn't going to go along with this. Raine the blunt, Raine the brutally honest, Raine the enemy of all things frivolous and unnecessary… _Surely_ she could be counted upon to be the last voice of reason when the world had apparently gone insane?

"Let him make his own mistakes, Genis," the professor shrugged, dashing the boy's hopes to the wind. "It's all part of growing up. Everyone has a hairstyle when they're a teenager that makes them wince as an adult at some point."

"He already _has_ that," Genis groaned hopelessly. "Now he just has _more_ of it."

"Why, Genis," Raine looked down with a playful smirk, her tone faux-surprised. "Are you jealous? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll grow some facial hair soon, along with that growth spurt we've been waiting for."

"Wha—?! _Raine_!" Genis spluttered, his face igniting. "That's not it at _all_!"

"Of course not, Genis, of course not," Raine laughed lightly and followed their departed companions up the stairs.

Genis stared after her for several minutes, trying to control his angry—that was it, _angry_—flush. Ooh, these immature idiots made him _crazy_! How sad was it when the twelve-year-old was better put together than those nearly twice his age? No, not sad… _infuriating_.

He gave in to the urge and hopped up and down a few times on the spot, growling inarticulately. As he should have known, it did nothing but earn him startled looks from everyone else in the lobby, and didn't do a thing for either the flush on his face or the fury in his chest. He fled up the stairs, his face as red as a tomato, already planning ways to 'accidentally' singe that abomination off Lloyd's face the next time they were in a fight.

***

The next day dawned as bright and perfect as days should dawn in a place known as Paradise-on-Tethe'alla. The crystal-blue waves hissed up and down the soft white sand of the beach, which was already covered by droves of half-dressed young people screaming in delight as they splashed, dug, and basked in the glorious weather. Seagulls sailed the cloudless skies, adding their own raucous laughter to the mix as they chased each other in complex, three-dimensional spirals. And crowning it all was the diamond glitter of the silver-and-glass hotel, reflecting the sunlight in rainbow sparkles like the central jewel in a queen's tiara.

Genis's eye twitched. He honestly could not believe this. He just… no. _No_. Unnoticed, the bite of porridge suspended halfway to his mouth slipped off his spoon to plop back into the bowl with an unappetizing noise. Not that Genis had any appetite by this point anyway…

"Just noticed, eh?" Zelos smirked. "Man, you're slow. What do you think?" The dazzling grin he flashed stretched his lips, highlighting the smudge of red dusted across the top.

Lloyd had a goatee.

And now Zelos had a mustache.

"Where did you get the _testosterone_ for that?" Genis demanded irritably, his smartass side taking over for his logical one—which was currently driveling in some metaphysical corner of his brain. He cast a pointed look at the Tethe'allan nobleman's rather effeminately-hued attire, and then at his long, wavy locks.

Zelos was not fazed. "I noticed bud's new fashion statement, and decided to try it out myself. How about it? _Debonair_, or what?" He smirked again and attempted to twirl a corner of his… _mustache_—an attempt that was doomed to failure, since the entirety of the feature was just a few wispy hairs, much like Lloyd's 'beard'.

"See? Told ya it didn't look so bad," Lloyd grinned smugly from where he sat across the breakfast table beside his newly-mustachioed friend.

"It looks _ridiculous_," Genis insisted. "Both of you look like _hobos_."

"What would you know?" Zelos scoffed. "Have you ever even spoken to a woman? They like _rugged_ men."

"Oh, yeah," the mage rolled his eyes. "I'm sure every girl in Tethe'alla goes for a guy who looks like he's got a dust bunny stuck to his face."

"You're just jealous cuz you don't have one," Lloyd accused, throwing out his index finger as if he had made a trenchant point. Genis growled. What was with everyone and thinking he was jealous? He was _not_.

"I intend to stay clean-shaven my whole life, thank you," the boy huffed. "Better than looking like you cretins. And I'll be _twice_ as popular as either of you," he added, with a slight flush that he attempted to combat with a fierce glare.

A gleam entered Zelos's eye at that. The man clearly scented a challenge. He leaned forward with an oily smirk. "How about this, then, my dear little brat: We'll have a contest to settle this issue once and for all."

"Bring it on," Genis snarled despite his better judgment.

"All right, then, here are the rules—you, me, and bud here all have to find dates… _by tonight_," Zelos's smile grew predatory.

"Th-That's no fair!" Genis protested. "You already know half the girls here!"

"Ah, yes, but Lloyd and I are a team," Zelos clapped his hand on Lloyd's shoulder again. "If he can't find a date, then we both lose. And if we lose, we'll both shave."

"And if I lose…?" Genis asked cautiously.

"Let's make _him_ grow a beard," Lloyd suggested, his smile becoming devious. "Once he's old enough to grow one, of course…" A vein popped out in Genis's temple.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Zelos waved a hand. "Anyway, it's a deal?"

"You're on!" the mage stood and threw down his napkin challengingly. "I can't wait to get those stupid things out of my sight!"

"Don't be so confident…!" Zelos sang after the boy as he stormed from the meal hall. It was only then that the Chosen noticed that everyone in the entire (rather large) room was staring at them blankly. They were all frozen in the act of eating—except for Sheena and Raine, as the first was choking on her bacon (she had begun laughing while eating) and the second was pounding her on the back.

He shrugged and turned back to Lloyd. "So, shall we get started?"

***

"Remember, don't stutter too much," Zelos instructed, pushing the dual-wielding swordsman before him by the shoulders. "Be smooth, and confident. _Don't_ stare at her chest. And for Martel's sake, don't act like yourself!"

"The Professor told us we should just be ourselves no matter what," Lloyd mumbled pathetically, wishing the sand offered his bare feet a little more purchase for resisting his friend's forward momentum. Zelos made a kind of choking noise and spun the brunet around, shaking him slightly.

"Lloyd, that is the _worst_ advice I've ever _heard_! If you want any chance of getting a girl, you've gotta act like someone cool and strong. Someone attractive. Someone who _can speak intelligibly in the presence of a member of the opposite sex_. That last one is _key_."

"Okay, okay," Lloyd stumbled back, his arms half-raised to fend off the crazed redhead. "I get it, already!"

"I doubt it," Zelos muttered. Then, louder, "Okay, just pick a girl, go up to her, compliment her looks, and then ask her to dinner tonight. Don't stutter. Don't blush. Don't be yourself. And remember to breathe. Now, _go_."

"Ugh…" Lloyd turned away and began trudging down the beach. He had been so eager to prove his know-it-all friend wrong that he hadn't quite realized what he was getting into until right now. He was so _nervous_ around girls—well, except Colette and Presea. But they weren't _girls_, they were… Well, they _were_ girls, but it was different. They didn't blow into rages for no apparent reason, swing emotionally all over the place, make unreasonable demands, or just plain act like a species from another planet. Though the girls from Tethe'alla technically _were_ from another planet, weren't they…?

Lloyd groaned again and picked a girl randomly. He straightened his shoulders and puffed out his chest as he marched forward, aware that Zelos was watching. Zelos was counting on him. He wouldn't let his friend down. Even if it meant talking to… _girls_.

Shudder.

"Um, hi," he pasted a smile onto his face, immediately realizing that he had chosen the wrong girl. She had short, dark hair, just like Sheena, and long-lashed blue eyes, just like the Professor. Not to mention her skimpy bathing suit and—erm, _endowments_. Generous ones.

"Hello," she said cautiously, eyeing him up and down. In her hands was an inflatable beach ball, which she had been dribbling with her bare feet a few moments ago. It was the color and movement that had caught Lloyd's eye in the first place. He swallowed dryly and tried to remember what he was supposed to do next. Go up to her, check. Next was… compliment her looks. Right. He could do this. Her looks, her _looks_…

"You've got a cute nose," he blurted. The eyes and hair were out—it would be like indirectly complimenting Sheena or the Professor. Both of whom would smack him back to Sylvarant if he tried to hit on them.

The girl leaned back a bit, clearly wondering if he was mentally competent. "Um, thanks…?"

"And your legs," Lloyd babbled, trying to cover up. "They're—they're really long, and all shiny… And I saw you kicking that ball and I thought you looked really—" At a loss for an adjective, Lloyd did the worst possible thing, one of the things Zelos had expressly told him not to do. Lloyd glanced down from the girl's face.

Which, of course, ended up with him looking at her chest.

"You pig!" the girl screeched, the babbling and staring combining to bring her face out in enraged splotches. She tucked her beach ball under one arm, using the other to haul off and slap him across the face. Lloyd clutched his face in pain as she turned on her heel and stormed off down the beach.

"W-Wait!" he called. "I didn't mean…! Is it the goatee…?"

"Llo-oyd," his friend's despairing voice floated over his shoulder. Lloyd turned to see the nobleman shaking his head. "What did I _tell_ you about acting like yourself?"

"She didn't need to slap me," the brunet sulked, rubbing his cheek. Zelos sighed and slung an arm over his shoulders.

"Don't sweat it, bud. We've got all day for this. Now, one more time. Pick a girl, compliment her _eyes_, and ask her to dinner tonight. This time, try to do something _I_ would do, okay?"

"If I have to…" Lloyd groaned pathetically, dragging himself away down the beach once more. It was for Zelos. He couldn't let him down. This time the girl he approached had red hair and green eyes, and was fairly plain-looking on the whole.

_Act like Zelos_. _Act like Zelos_. With this mantra in his head, Lloyd summoned every scrap of acting skills he'd ever possessed and slid over to the girl's side. When her startled gaze landed on him, he twisted his face into a confident smirk and twirled his 'goatee'.

"Hey, there," he tried to make his voice smooth. _Act like Zelos. Act like…_ "You're, um… quite beautiful. Could I interest you in…?"

The girl cut him off, her face sharp. "Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested. Creep." She, too, turned on her heel and stormed away.

Lloyd turned to Zelos, looking like a kicked puppy.

"I did everything you told me to!" he whined. "Why did she call me a creep? And what did she mean 'whatever I'm selling'?"

"Well, well, wonders never cease," Zelos stroked his 'moustache'. "It seems the twerp was right, for once. You look like a dealer with that thing."

"A dealer…?"

"Forget it, bud. I've got a better idea," Zelos re-slung his arm over Lloyd and leaned in very closely, so that he could whisper and only Lloyd could hear him. "Listen, all I told the brat was that we each had to get a date by tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Lloyd frowned. He didn't get it. "But the girls turned me down."

"Doesn't matter," Zelos waved a hand. "They're idiots if they can't see how handsome my bud is. But my point is this: if _I_ have to get _any_ date… and _you_ have to get _any_ date… What if our dates were _each other_?"

"Huh?" Lloyd blinked. Zelos rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Lloyd, will you go to dinner with me?"

"Um, I guess yeah, but I thought…" Lloyd began. Zelos pulled away and spread his arms with a grin.

"We win! See, I just asked you out, and you accepted! So now I'm going on a date with you, and you're going on a date with me!" he explained. Lloyd's face cleared a bit.

"Oh… I think I get it… But isn't that cheating?" he blinked yet again.

"I never said the date had to be a girl, did I?" Zelos laughed.

"I guess…"

"Trust me, bud, it's perfect," Zelos grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on that twerp's face…"

***

Genis fumed as intensely as he was able to. It was still unsatisfying. He'd walked all up and down the beach, but every girl he saw was either too little or too old for him. He couldn't ask someone Colette's age out… Not to mention the fact that he'd never asked anyone out before. He didn't have the first idea how to start…

"You are unhappy," a monotone voice stated near his ear. Genis started, jerking around to see Presea's wide eyes regarding him from only inches away. His face caught fire.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded.

"Why?" Presea's head tilted slightly, her face as blank as ever. Despite that, Genis found the gesture incredibly cute.

"I have to get a girl to date me, or else Lloyd and Zelos will think up some awful punishment for me," he explained, waving his hands to illustrate. He clutched his head and fell back. "But I can't find anyone to ask out!"

"I understand," Presea stated. She stood and stared at him as if waiting. Genis fidgeted.

"What is it, Presea?"

"Problem analyzed. Most feasible solution: ask me 'out'," the pink-haired girl instructed him dryly. Genis nearly passed out from the rush of blood to his face.

"Wh-Wh-Wha—?! Presea! You don't have to…! How is that the 'most feasible solution'?!" his voice was at least four octaves higher than usual.

"Reason one: I am female, therefore meeting all stated criteria. Reason two: We are familiar with each other, thereby negating nervousness. Reason three: The chance of refusal is zero percent. Reason four…" the girl droned.

"Okay, that's enough," Genis mumbled, twiddling his fingers. "But… you really wouldn't mind, Presea? Going out with me?"

"Negative."

"Well, then…" a shy smile spread across his face. It was unfortunately not reciprocated. "Will you go to dinner with me tonight, Presea?"

"Affirmative," Presea nodded. Genis's smile grew wider, and he hopped out of his seat.

_Ha. Beat_ that, _you hairy apes_.

***

"Well…"

The three boys stared at each other across the table in the meal hall of the hotel once more. Each was at a loss.

"We didn't say what happened if we all got dates," Genis finally cut to the heart of the problem.

"Is it a tie?" Lloyd suggested.

"No!" the other two growled at him in unison. Lloyd jumped. Zelos and Genis glared at each other.

"Alright, then," the nobleman recovered first. "We'll have to have a tie-breaker."

"Yeah," Genis agreed aggressively.

"What?" Lloyd spread his hands, bewildered.

"We have to actually _go_ on the dates," Zelos upped the stakes. "And… and we have to get our dates to kiss us!"

"What?!" Lloyd repeated, with slightly different inflection, choking on his own spit. Their clever idea suddenly didn't seem so clever. What was _possessing_ Zelos?

"That's not fair!" Genis protested for a second time. "It's not right to do that just for a bet!"

"Are you backing out?" Zelos demanded. Genis rallied.

"No!"

"Whoever's kiss is the longest wins," the Chosen ruled.

"On the lips?" Genis blushed. Zelos nodded firmly, causing Lloyd to nearly have an aneurysm in the seat beside him.

"We meet back here for breakfast," he rose from his seat a bit more violently than was strictly necessary. "C'mon, bud, let's go."

"Wait," Genis forestalled him, curious. "Who did you manage to ask out, anyway?"

"None of your business," Zelos flipped a nonchalant hand at him. "Suffice to say my date is _gorgeous_, and so is Lloyd's. See you at breakfast." He hauled the brunet out behind him.

"Trust you to be flattering and narcissistic in the same sentence," Lloyd grumbled, not quite sure how to take this new twist. Zelos fluttered his lashes at him.

"You don't agree?"

"That's not the point," Lloyd blushed and looked away. "Why did you do that? You realize that now we have to… now we have to…?"

"Don't you worry, bud," Zelos winked at him. "I promise not to break your heart, mmkay?"

"You don't…! You're not…!" Lloyd gave up. Zelos sobered a little.

"Trust me, bud. It doesn't have to be a big deal. And no one will know except you and me anyway. What's a kiss between buds, huh?"

"Yeah, sure…" Lloyd mumbled, looking away. He had a bad feeling about this…

***

The 'date' was pure torture. Lloyd was quite sure that Zelos must have gone insane. They ate dinner together in a restaurant near the casino (since the Tethe'allan noble thought they were less likely to meet Genis than if they ate in the hotel). And Zelos was acting as if he'd never met him.

"Zelos," Lloyd eventually growled. "You _know_ what my hobbies are. We practically _live_ together. Stop acting like you don't know me!"

"It's a first date, bud," Zelos told him with a shrug. "They're supposed to be about getting to know each other."

"We already _know_ each other! That was _why_ I agreed to this in the first place!" Lloyd resisted the urge to tug at his hair, instead settling for a violent rub of his 'goatee'. This was all its fault.

"No need to get angry, bud," Zelos shrugged again.

"Look, let's just get going, all right?" Lloyd's voice subsided to a mumble. He wasn't sure going on a date with a strange girl would have been much less uncomfortable than this. Zelos acquiesced, bringing out a wad of money and slapping it on the table as they departed. Lloyd wanted to protest this, but he knew the older man probably had more money than he'd ever imagined having in his life, so he let it be, despite the unbalanced sense it gave him. It made him feel oddly like the girl in this scenario.

Which led to another question…

"Hey, Zelos," Lloyd frowned. "If I'm your date, _and_ you're my date… who is supposed to kiss who?" There followed a pause, during which the only sounds were their footsteps clopping across the paved road leading back to the hotel. Neither the sun nor the moon was visible in the sky, though the western sky was awash with sourceless light. A flock of gulls darted across the sky, looking like two-dimensional cutouts of black paper.

"…Kissing is generally a two-person activity, Lloyd," Zelos replied at length, his tone questioning the brunet's sanity. Lloyd flushed but persevered.

"No, I mean—you said 'we have to _get_ our dates to kiss us'. So which of us is supposed to 'get' the other to kiss them? Does it even count if one of us is convinced instead of convincing? I mean, it doesn't—mmf!"

Lloyd was cut off as Zelos stepped in front of him—effectively stopping him in his tracks—took hold of his shoulders, and leaned down to press their lips together. Lloyd stood stiffly for a few seconds, caught off-guard. Before he had any time to collect himself and figure out what was going on, Zelos had pulled back. There was an odd expression on his face, one Lloyd had never seen before, but it was wiped away a moment later, replaced by a familiar smirk.

"There, now, was that so bad? You got me to kiss you, and we won't have to shave if we don't want to. Now, c'mon, bud, I'll walk you up to your hotel room," he turned and led the way into the hotel, his sheet of red hair swinging. Lloyd shuffled after him, mumbling.

"It's your hotel room, too…"

They climbed the stairs together in silence. The air was thick with tension, and just a hint of awkwardness. Zelos could say what he wanted—_What's a kiss between buds, huh?_—but Lloyd knew that he, at least, wasn't going to just forget this in the next five minutes. His heart was even now galloping from delayed shock. Or… he thought it was delayed shock, anyway…

They came to a stop in front of their shared hotel room, turning to face each other silently. Zelos put his hands on his hips and sighed heavily, his face somehow looking a little sad.

"I told you, it doesn't have to be a big deal…"

"But is it?" Lloyd interrupted. Zelos blinked, for once off-balance.

"You said it doesn't have to be," the brunet persisted. "But is it a big deal anyway? Do you… want it to be one…?"

"I…" Zelos seemed to be having trouble working his mouth. Lloyd decided that the best way to help him with that would be to step in close, lean up, and work it himself. So he did.

This kiss lasted quite a bit longer than a few seconds.

The two pulled apart after a minute or two, breathing heavily. Zelos attempted a smirk, though it came off crooked and trembling.

"Heh… I guess… we both got each other to kiss us, huh?"

"Genis could still win," Lloyd pointed out dizzily. "If his kiss was longer…"

"Well, we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen," Zelos decided firmly. He fumbled with one hand to open the room's door, using the other to tug Lloyd along behind him by the waist. The door swung shut behind them, leaving the hall as empty and silent as before.

***

"WHAT?!" Lloyd's jaw hit the floor. Genis regarded him with cool smugness that didn't quite manage to cover the unholy glee he was clearly feeling. He looked ready to burst into maniacal cackles at any moment.

"You heard me," he grinned. "I win! You two have to shave those ugly things off, or I'll burn them off with my fireballs."

"But…!" Lloyd began to protest.

"He's right, bud," Zelos sighed, putting an arm around his friend and shaking his head sorrowfully. "We agreed to this… And the Great Zelos Wilder is a man of his word."

"Yeah, sure," Genis snickered. The snicker burst the dam, and he leaped up, punching the air and whooping. "I can't believe it! Presea actually kissed me!" He all but danced away, looking deliriously pleased with himself.

"Presea…?" Lloyd blinked. "Hey! That's cheating!"

"No more than what we did," Zelos said dryly. Lloyd groaned and thumped his forehead into the table.

"I can't believe we lost after all that…"

"Well, we weren't exactly timing ourselves, were we?" Zelos smirked. "And besides, I wouldn't call it a _total_ loss…" His arm snaked around Lloyd's waist, his breath ghosting over the brunet's neck.

Lloyd shivered, then smiled.

No. Not a total loss at all.


End file.
